Ipswich - Mass of Christian Burial for Minnie L. Rappe, 89, will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Ipswich. Interment will be at Holy Cross Ceme- tery. A liturgical wake service will be 7 p.m. Wednesday at Holy Cross. Visitation will be 3-5 p.m. Wednesday at Gramm Funeral Home and one hour prior to the services at the church. Memorials to Holy Cross are preferred in lieu of flowers. Philomena Lucia “Minnie†Braun was born in Fountain Township on Nov. 9, 1918, to Andrew F. and Lucy (Lacher) Braun. Minnie's childhood on the farm was full of happy memories until, at the age of 12, when she had to take on the task of caring for her six younger siblings after their mother died suddenly following childbirth. The arduous task of responsibility in the early 1930s would be difficult for anyone, but Minnie quickly learned to care for the children, baked, cooked, and cleaned. She spoke often on how deeply she missed her mom. “You didn't run to the grocery store when you needed food. We butchered all our own meat, milked the cows, made the butter, and canned produce. If we didn't have it, we went without.†On July 1, 1946, Minnie married Wilbur D. “Bill†Rappe of Leola in Ipswich, S.D. He was the absolute love of her life as they made their home in Ipswich with seven children. Tragedy hit their lives when Bill was killed while working for the REA on Jan. 8, 1964. Minnie began work at the Ipswich Community Hospital as a food service supervisor, working split shifts for more than 25 years. Tragedy hit the family again on Jan. 21, 1967, when her second son, Glenn, was killed in a train/truck accident. Minnie was an inspiration to all her friends and family during her life. She worked very hard and made sure her kids literally ran to Mass regularly. She baked and cooked superbly and often shared these goodies with neighbors and friends. She was noted for her kuchen, sweet rolls, breads, and chocolate chip cookies. Her kids teased her often that they were sure there was a yeast spill around their house. Of all her accomplishments and attributes, Minnie was most successful as a mom and grandma. She would start a conversation with total strangers about her kids and often passed around their pictures, embarrassing her kids. If her kids lost their mom in a crowd, they could always find her sharing her life story to total strangers. Her favorite hobbies were cooking, reading, gardening, and taking pictures, even though she cut off the heads in many photos, blaming it on her bifocals. Her love of ice cream brought about many funny stories. Whenever her kids would ask what she wanted for Christmas, her lifelong response was always the same, “Good Kids.†They got tired of being good. Her happiest moments were spoiling her grandchildren. When the grandchildren from out of state would visit, they knew it was a two-week celebration of ice cream every day for 14 days in a row. Minnie was a member of the Holy Cross Altar Society, St. Gerard Study Club, National Catholic Society of Foresters, Hospital Auxiliary, Legion of Mary and the American Legion Auxiliary. Minnie died Saturday, Jan. 9, 2008, at Aberdeen Health and Rehab. Minnie is survived by her four sons: Jim “J. R.†of Mina, S.D., William “Chuck†(Lesia) of Ipswich, Kenny (Deb) Rappe of Great Falls, Mont., and Randy (Bonita) Rappe of Great Falls, Mont.; two daughters: Francis “Fritz†(Wally) Albrecht of Aberdeen and Marilee (Bob) Taylor of Great Falls, Mont.; two brothers: Frank (Armella) Braun of Ipswich and Ed (Gladys) Braun of Ipswich; 10 grandchildren: Melissa Rappe of Mina, Jessica and Jennifer Rappe of Ipswich, Brandon and Colton Rappe of Great Falls, Reid and Laura Albrecht of Aberdeen, Nathan, Nicholas, and Nolan Taylor of Great Falls; and five great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; one son; one sister, Kathryn Lahr; and three brothers: Richard, Joseph and Daniel. Ipswich - Mass of Christian Burial for Minnie L. Rappe, 89, will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Ipswich. Interment will be at Holy Cross Ceme- tery. A liturgical wake service will be 7 p.m. Wednesday at Holy Cross. Visitation will be 3-5 p.m. Wednesday at Gramm Funeral Home and one hour prior to the services at the church. Memorials to Holy Cross are preferred in lieu of flowers. Philomena Lucia “Minnie†Braun was born in Fountain Township on Nov. 9, 1918, to Andrew F. and Lucy (Lacher) Braun. Minnie's childhood on the farm was full of happy memories until, at the age of 12, when she had to take on the task of caring for her six younger siblings after their mother died suddenly following childbirth. The arduous task of responsibility in the early 1930s would be difficult for anyone, but Minnie quickly learned to care for the children, baked, cooked, and cleaned. She spoke often on how deeply she missed her mom. “You didn't run to the grocery store when you needed food. We butchered all our own meat, milked the cows, made the butter, and canned produce. If we didn't have it, we went without.†On July 1, 1946, Minnie married Wilbur D. “Bill†Rappe of Leola in Ipswich, S.D. He was the absolute love of her life as they made their home in Ipswich with seven children. Tragedy hit their lives when Bill was killed while working for the REA on Jan. 8, 1964. Minnie began work at the Ipswich Community Hospital as a food service supervisor, working split shifts for more than 25 years. Tragedy hit the family again on Jan. 21, 1967, when her second son, Glenn, was killed in a train/truck accident. Minnie was an inspiration to all her friends and family during her life. She worked very hard and made sure her kids literally ran to Mass regularly. She baked and cooked superbly and often shared these goodies with neighbors and friends. She was noted for her kuchen, sweet rolls, breads, and chocolate chip cookies. Her kids teased her often that they were sure there was a yeast spill around their house. Of all her accomplishments and attributes, Minnie was most successful as a mom and grandma. She would start a conversation with total strangers about her kids and often passed around their pictures, embarrassing her kids. If her kids lost their mom in a crowd, they could always find her sharing her life story to total strangers. Her favorite hobbies were cooking, reading, gardening, and taking pictures, even though she cut off the heads in many photos, blaming it on her bifocals. Her love of ice cream brought about many funny stories. Whenever her kids would ask what she wanted for Christmas, her lifelong response was always the same, “Good Kids.†They got tired of being good. Her happiest moments were spoiling her grandchildren. When the grandchildren from out of state would visit, they knew it was a two-week celebration of ice cream every day for 14 days in a row. Minnie was a member of the Holy Cross Altar Society, St. Gerard Study Club, National Catholic Society of Foresters, Hospital Auxiliary, Legion of Mary and the American Legion Auxiliary. Minnie died Saturday, Jan. 9, 2008, at Aberdeen Health and Rehab. Minnie is survived by her four sons: Jim “J. R.†of Mina, S.D., William “Chuck†(Lesia) of Ipswich, Kenny (Deb) Rappe of Great Falls, Mont., and Randy (Bonita) Rappe of Great Falls, Mont.; two daughters: Francis “Fritz†(Wally) Albrecht of Aberdeen and Marilee (Bob) Taylor of Great Falls, Mont.; two brothers: Frank (Armella) Braun of Ipswich and Ed (Gladys) Braun of Ipswich; 10 grandchildren: Melissa Rappe of Mina, Jessica and Jennifer Rappe of Ipswich, Brandon and Colton Rappe of Great Falls, Reid and Laura Albrecht of Aberdeen, Nathan, Nicholas, and Nolan Taylor of Great Falls; and five great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; one son; one sister, Kathryn Lahr; and three brothers: Richard, Joseph and Daniel.